*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tote

Possibly from Middle Low German tûte, tǖte (“horn, conical paper bag”), whence also German Tute (“horn, bugle”) and German Tüte (“bag, paper bag”). Compare also Scots tout (“drinking vessel”), Saterland Frisian Tüütje (“

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To carry or bear.

noun

A tote bag. · A heavy burden. · A kind of plastic box used for transporting goods. · The principal handle of a handplane, for gripping the plane.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Possibly from Middle Low German tûte, tǖte (“horn, conical paper bag”), whence also German Tute (“horn, bugle”) and German Tüte (“bag, paper bag”). Compare also Scots tout (“drinking vessel”), Saterland Frisian Tüütje (“paper bag”), West Frisian tút (“spout, toot, kiss”), Dutch tuit (“horn, spout, nozzle”), Danish tud (“spout, nozzle”), Faroese strútur (“spout”), Icelandic stútur (“spout”), Norwegian and Swedish tut (“spout”), Old Norse tútna (“to be blown up”). Possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tut(t)- (“to stick out, protrude”). Alternatively, from a Bantu language; compare Kongo tota (“to pick up”), Kimbundu tuta (“to carry, load”), Swahili tuta (“to pile, carry”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "tûte"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German tûte"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Tute",
        "3": "",
        "4": "horn, bugle"
      },
      "expansion": "German Tute (“horn, bugle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Tüte",
        "3": "",
        "4": "bag, paper bag"
      },
      "expansion": "German Tüte (“bag, paper bag”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "tout",
        "3": "",
        "4": "drinking vessel"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots tout (“drinking vessel”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "Tüütje",
        "3": "",
        "4": "paper bag"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian Tüütje (“paper bag”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "tút",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spout, toot, kiss"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian tút (“spout, toot, kiss”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "tuit",
        "3": "",
        "4": "horn, spout, nozzle"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch tuit (“horn, spout, nozzle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "tud",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spout, nozzle"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish tud (“spout, nozzle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "strútur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spout"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese strútur (“spout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "stútur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spout"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic stútur (“spout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "tut",
        "3": "",
        "4": "spout"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish tut (“spout”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "tútna",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to be blown up"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse tútna (“to be blown up”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tut(t)-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to stick out, protrude"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tut(t)- (“to stick out, protrude”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "bnt",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Bantu"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kg",
        "2": "tota",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to pick up"
      },
      "expansion": "Kongo tota (“to pick up”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "kmb",
        "2": "tuta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to carry, load"
      },
      "expansion": "Kimbundu tuta (“to carry, load”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "tuta",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to pile, carry"
      },
      "expansion": "Swahili tuta (“to pile, carry”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tûte",
      "tute#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "tǖte",
      "tute#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "Tute",
      "Tute#German"
    ],
    [
      "Tüte",
      "Tüte#German"
    ],
    [
      "tout",
      "tout#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "Tüütje",
      "Tüütje#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tút",
      "tút#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "tuit",
      "tuit#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "tud",
      "tud#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "strútur",
      "strútur#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "stútur",
      "stútur#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "tut",
      "tut#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "tútna",
      "tútna#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*tut(t)-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tut(t)-"
    ],
    [
      "tota",
      "tota#Kongo"
    ],
    [
      "tuta",
      "tuta#Kimbundu"
    ],
    [
      "tuta",
      "tuta#Swahili"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To carry or bear."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Southern-US"
      ],
      "recordId": "8a4c38f8c574d46c684ef2d719708386cf02702cad2d333559b41622a23392cb",
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    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tote bag.",
        "A heavy burden.",
        "A kind of plastic box used for transporting goods.",
        "The principal handle of a handplane, for gripping the plane."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To add up; to calculate a total.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of total, with e to distinguish from tot in writing.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip of",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "total",
        "addl": "with <i class=\"Latn mention\" lang=\"mul\">e</i> to distinguish from <i class=\"Latn mention\" lang=\"en\">tot</i> in writing"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of total, with e to distinguish from tot in writing"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "total",
      "total#English"
    ],
    [
      "tot",
      "tot#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To add up; to calculate a total."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "d8156c15234a52a71ecf9fa5ca2ed047dd1e6a5e873d390e2db88571fc129141",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d0c97a77489bb2d15bfa33569f653df32f1a8c098c6cd26cb757bae747e8c9b5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 440912
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A pari-mutuel machine; a totalizator. · Pari-mutuel betting.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of totalizator.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip of",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "totalizator"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of totalizator"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "totalizator",
      "totalizator#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pari-mutuel machine; a totalizator.",
        "Pari-mutuel betting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "972d1f7a4a90149f69584959bf0718ad8ea8918722af4bfdb2b39dfaaa2a969c",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tote →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dG90ZQ